ACH Is Quietly Eating Checks' Lunch in B2B Payments

Jessica Albright · 2026-09-22

Remember when writing a check felt like the only grown-up way to pay a business? Well, those days are fading fast. Over the past decade, ACH has been the only payment rail that's shown steady, consistent growth in the B2B world. And it's not just a blip—it's a full-on shift. ### The Numbers Don't Lie According to the Cleveland Fed, B2B payments made via ACH more than doubled from 3.6 billion in 2015 to 8.7 billion in 2024. Since 2020, ACH has been the most-used B2B payment method. Meanwhile, wire transfers, credit cards, and debit cards have stayed pretty flat. Checks? They've been on a downward slide, and that's exactly where ACH is picking up steam. ### Checks Are Losing Their Grip Back in 2015, checks were king—4.6 billion B2B payments. By 2024, that number had fallen to 2.7 billion, and checks' share of total B2B payments dropped from 32% to 13%. Yet here's the kicker: nearly 90% of businesses still used checks in 2025. So yeah, change is happening, but it's slow. "The slow move towards ACH away from checks is about cost, automation, and reducing risk," said Ben Danner, Senior Analyst of Debit at Javelin Strategy & Research. "If you think about paper checks, there is a huge risk with mishandling, counterfeit, and alterations just to name a few things. When you add up all the costs associated with paper checks, ACH is just a better modality and also gives businesses the option of speed with same day ACH. Businesses have slowly followed consumer trends in moving towards digital payments in general." ### Why ACH Is Winning Cost is a big factor. The median fee for sending or receiving an ACH payment is just 25 to 50 cents per transaction. Checks? They'll cost you a median of $1 for sending and just under $1 for receiving. That adds up fast when you're processing hundreds or thousands of payments. But it's not just about money. ACH offers automation, better security, and the option for same-day settlement. That's a triple threat that paper checks simply can't match. ### Where ACH Fits in the Payment Mix ACH and checks tend to be used for mid-sized B2B payments. In 2024, the average ACH transaction was $8,084, compared to $5,577 for checks. Wires, on the other hand, are for the big stuff—averaging nearly $3.2 million per transaction. Credit and debit card transactions averaged $275 and $119, respectively. As ACH has gained ground, the other major payment methods have stayed relatively stable. Credit cards and wire payments accounted for nearly 30% and 2% of B2B payments, respectively, with both shares largely unchanged over the decade. Debit cards saw a bit more movement, increasing from 13% to 17%. ### What This Means for Your Business If you're still cutting checks for every vendor, you might be leaving money on the table—and exposing yourself to unnecessary risk. The shift to ACH isn't just a trend; it's a smarter way to handle payments. It's faster, cheaper, and more secure. Plus, with same-day ACH options, you don't have to sacrifice speed for efficiency. So, next time you reach for the checkbook, ask yourself: is there a better way? The answer, increasingly, is yes.